Jasper stepped out of Room 13 on a high. But as soon as he checked his timetable, his heart sank. Species Studies with Stenka. He didn’t want to be late. He ran towards the Species Studies classroom, turned a corner and crashed head-first into someone rushing from the other direction. He was knocked to the ground. The ceiling swirled, then everything went black.
‘Jasper? Can you hear me? Are you OK?’ The voice sounded as though it were coming from a long way away.
Jasper’s head pounded. He groaned and opened his eyes. Boris was peering anxiously down at him.
‘Yeah, couldn’t be better,’ Jasper managed to gasp. He felt as though he’d just walked into a bus.
Boris helped Jasper to his feet.
‘Why were you in such a hurry?’ Jasper asked, gingerly feeling the bump on his head with his fingertips.
Boris shook his head furiously and clamped his lips shut.
Jasper looked at Boris. He knew that look. Total fear and disbelief. The look that every first-year had on their face when Principal Von Strasser showed them the Blibberwail on their first day, as proof that monsters existed. ‘You’ve seen one, haven’t you?’ asked Jasper.
Boris’s eyes narrowed. ‘Seen one what?’